Torque Cuff and Collar Links

ABSTRACT

Torque cuff and collar link, comprising: a base, two arms, a pivot mechanism, a series of projections, and a connecting member for connecting the base and the pivot mechanism. The pivot mechanism further comprising a series of gear or teeth fixed to the connecting member and a series of projections inside the edge of one arm. The gear or teeth fit to cause different levels of friction and torque when force is applied on the arm. Friction between the series of gear or teeth and the projections causes the cuff and collar links to hold firm in a given position.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to apparel and associated accessories, and moreparticularly to torque cuff and collar links with a pivot mechanismuseful in holding cuffs and collar of a shirt in a given desiredposition.

BACKGROUND ART

There are known cuff links and collar or fasteners. For example,WO/2008/030196 of 9 Sep. 2006 by Nicol, Fiona May discloses asingle-piece cuff link for use in a releasably coupling of a first and asecond section of a sleeve and where the cuff link include first andsecond arms meeting at first ends and the ends being curved relativelyinwardly toward each other. CA428446 by Kurashima, Hideo of 18 May 1983discloses a cufflink having two main parts, namely decorative member anda link member which are readily assembled and disassembled by a singlefinger push, so that even with a double cuff and/or single cuff shirtthe cufflink hides and receives a button on the cuff of the single cuffshirt within a depression in the decorative member, and hides the buttonhole of the double cuff shirt.

U.S. Ser. No. 15/185,278 by Carl J. Rennard of 17 Jun. 2016 discloses acuff link accessory for coupling a one piece cuff link with a shirt cuffbutton and button hole, and including a base member having opposed ends,a first hole section disposed at one end of the base member and a secondhole section disposed at the opposed end of the base member. The firsthole section is for engagement with a post of the cuff link, onceinserted through button hole, and the second hole section is forengagement with the shirt cuff button.

However, the current invention discloses a cuff and collar link with amechanism that engages members, uses friction and torque to hold inplace the parts that rotate in order to hold the cuffs and collar of ashirt in a given desired position.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The invention provides shirt cuff and collar fasteners that use acombination of the principle of torque and wrench to hold the cuffs orcollar of a shirt into place. The invention aims to provide a foldingcuff and collar link which can be easily inserted in and out off thecuff or collar button and provide the wearer a firm grip of the shirtcuffs or collar by way of rotating the arm in opposite direction fromthe pivot. The invention also aims to achieve excellence by appearance.

The invention therefore discloses cuff and collar links with a mechanismcomprising of a combination of the pivotal axis upon which the arms orwings rotate in order to hold onto the cuffs or collar. The said cuffand collar link can also be used as a button or pin to be attached onany apparel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention is illustrated by wayof example in the accompanying drawings in which like reference numbersindicate the same or similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the cuff and collar button in its closedposition.

FIG. 2 is the cuff and collar button in the open position. The view itwould assume when the cuff and collar button is being inserted into thecuff hole or collar hole and when being removed from the cuff hole orcollar hole.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the cuff and collar button in its closedposition

FIG. 4 is the side view of the cuff and collar button in the openposition.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the cuff and collar button inits closed position.

FIG. 6 is a side elevation view of the invention showing clockwise andcounterclockwise movements of the arms on the pivot.

FIG. 7 is side elevation of the current invention taking on a differentform/shape of the connecting member in its open position.

FIG. 8 is the side view of the cuff button invention taking on adifferent form/shape of the connecting member in its closed position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is presented to enable any person skilled inthe art to make and use the invention as claimed and is provided in thecontext of the particular examples discussed below, variations of whichwill be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. In the interest ofclarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described inthis specification. It will be appreciated that in the development ofany such actual implementation (as in any development project), designdecisions must be made to achieve the designers' specific goals (e.g.,compliance with system and business-related constraints), and that thesegoals will vary from one implementation to another.

In a more general embodiment, the present invention discloses cuff andcollar links with a mechanism comprising of a combination of a pivotalaxis 4 upon which the arms or wings rotate in order to hold onto thecuffs or collar. The combination at the pivotal axis results into torquethat provides “inertia” to the cuff and collar links arms or wings whenin open and closed position.

In the first embodiment according to FIG. 1 , the invention discloses aside elevation of the cuff and collar button in its closed positionwhich comprises of a base 1, a pivot mechanism 4, a member connecting 2the base 1 and the pivot mechanism and arms 3 or wings. In thisembodiment, the base 1 is attached to one end of the connecting member,takes different forms to achieve excellence by appearance. Theconnecting member 2 is made to connect the base on one end and Pivot onthe other end. Arms 3 are crafted to lock shirt cuffs and collar buttonwhen in closed position. The pivot 4 comprises a mechanism that allowsrotation of the arms in clockwise and counterclockwise direction.

The invention further consists of a series of projections 5 that engagesa series of gear or teeth on the pivot 4 to cause inertia when the cuffand collar button is in its closed position.

The swivel mechanism comprises of a series of projections on the insideof one of the arm which is inserted into the fixed pivot from eitherends of the pivot. The swivel mechanism may also be centrally fixed whenthe member connecting to the base and the pivot takes different form andshape. The connecting member is a structure fixed to the base and maytake the solid form/shape or two parallel pole structures.

In FIG. 2 , the invention describes a cuff and collar button in the openposition also consisting of a connecting member 2 attached to the base 1and a series of projections 5 connecting with the pivot 4 which enablesthe arms 3 to move. In FIG. 3 , the inventions teaches of the top planview of the cuff and collar button in its closed position, comprising abase 1, arms 3 and a connecting member 2.

The pivot mechanism functions as a ratchet and wrench that allows motionin both clockwise and counterclockwise direction. This provides amechanical wrench system that provides grip to the arm and can firmlyhold the arm at an angle or at a given position relative to theconnecting member.

The interaction of movement or friction or torque caused between thefixed pivot with a series of teeth or gear and the projections insideone end of the arm provides grip and holds the arms in a given position.

In another embodiment according to FIG. 3 , the invention describes abase 1 connected to a pair of arms 3 to produce an operational cuff orcollar. Yet in FIG. 4 , the invention teaches of the presence of a base1 designed to support the pivot 4 and arms 3 of the invention.

The movement of the arm is preferentially set in motion by force that isapplied by the wearer finger tips on the edges of the arm. The desirableangle of the arm relative to the connecting member when fully deployedor when in worn position is 90 degrees as shown in FIG. 1 . The arms canalso be held at any other angle depending on the preference of thewearer and the thickness of the shirt cuffs or collar when heldtogether.

The arms are rotated upwards to a position as in FIG. 2 so as to allowthe wearer to easily remove the invention from the cuff or collar holesand insert the cuff/collar link into the cuff or collar holes.

The invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

In another embodiment according to FIG. 5 , the present inventiondescribes a longitudinal sectional view of the cuff and collar button inits closed position. The cuff and collar button has a base 1. The basecan have different shapes for different embodiments. It is theintention/desire of the current invention that the base is made ofdecorative and attractive material as per preference of the wearer so asto achieve excellence in appearance. Attached to the base 1 is aconnecting member 2. The connecting member 2 may also take differentshapes and forms in different embodiments.

In FIG. 6 , the invention provides a side elevation view of theinvention showing clockwise and counterclockwise movements of the arms 3on the pivot. Here the pivot mechanism 4 enables the arms to move fromleft to right and vice versa. Attached on the other end of theconnecting member 2 is a series of teeth or gear 4 that acts as a pivotfor attaching connecting member 2 to the arms 3.

In FIG. 7 , the invention shows a side elevation of the currentinvention taking on a different form/shape of the connecting member inits open position in which the pivot mechanism 4 enable the arms 3 tomove as they are supported by the base 1. A pair of arms 3 is fixed ontothe series of teeth or gear pivot 4 on opposite sides.

The arms 3 may have different shapes and forms in different embodiments.

On the inside of the arms 3 and on the edge fixed to the connectingmember 2 is provided a devise 5 consisting of a series of projectionsinside its edge which is inserted into the fixed pivot from either endsof the pivot. The projections fit perfectly with the gear to causedifferent levels of friction and torque when force is applied on thearms 3. This friction between the pivot and the devise causes thecuff/collar links to hold firm on the shirt cuffs or collar. As taughtin FIG. 8 , wherein side view of the cuff and collar button inventiontakes on a different form/shape of the connecting member in its closedposition exhibiting stretched arms 3 by the pivot mechanism 4 resting onthe connecting member that is fixed to the base 1.

Here the base 1 is attached to one end of the connecting member, takesdifferent forms to achieve excellence by appearance. The connectingmember 2 connects the base 1 on one end and Pivot on the other endtaking on a different form/shape. The arms 3 allows cuff and collarbutton to be inserted into and removed through Cuff or Collar buttonholewhen in an open position. The pivot 4 allows rotation of the arms inclockwise and counterclockwise direction. A series of projections 5engages the teeth/gear on the pivot to cause inertia when the Cuff andcollar button is in its closed position

The said cuff and collar link can also be used as a button or pin to beattached on any apparel.

Only one embodiment has been described but the person skilled in the artcan do other embodiments of the invention within the principle and thescope of the invention.

It will also be appreciated that such development effort might becomplex and time-consuming, but would nevertheless be a routineundertaking for those of ordinary skill in the field of the appropriateart having the benefit of this disclosure. Accordingly, the claimsappended hereto are not intended to be limited by the disclosedembodiments, but are to be accorded their widest scope consistent withthe principles and features disclosed herein.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION

The disclosed invention applies to textile and leather industry. Thenovel cuff and collar links are for use in holding shirt cuffs or collartogether and also for aesthetic purposes. The said cuff and collar linkcan also be used as a button or pin to be attached on any apparel.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cuff link for holding a shirt's cuffs,comprising: a base; two arms; a pivot mechanism; and a means forconnecting the base and the pivot mechanism; the said pivot mechanismand the connecting member fit to cause different levels of friction andtorque when force is applied on the arm, said friction causing the cufflink to hold firm in a given position.
 2. The cuff link according toclaim 1, wherein the pivot mechanism further comprising a series ofprojections on the inside of one arm and a series of gear or teeth onthe connecting member.
 3. The cuff link according to claim 1 or 2,wherein the cuff link can be moved on the arms into a position relativeto the base thus enabling the arms to be inserted through a shirt cuffbutton hole and wherein after insertion, the arms can be moved into aposition relative to the base and therefore lock the cuff link intoplace.
 4. The cuff link according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the arms canbe held at any other angle when in the worn position depending on thepreference of the wearer and/or the thickness of the shirt cuffs.
 5. Thecuff link according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the connecting member, thepivot mechanism, the base and the arms can have different shapes/form indifferent embodiments.
 6. The cuff link according to claim 1 or 2,wherein the said cuff link can also be used as a button and/or pin to beattached on any apparel.
 7. A Collar link for holding a shirt's collars,comprising: abase; two arms; a pivot mechanism; and a means forconnecting the base and the pivot mechanism; the said pivot mechanismand the connecting member fit to cause different levels of friction andtorque when force is applied on the arm, said friction causing thecollar link to hold firm in a given position.
 8. The Collar linkaccording to claim 7, wherein the pivot mechanism further comprising aseries of projections on the inside of one arm and on the connectingmember.
 9. The Collar link according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the Collarlink can be moved on the arms into a position relative to the base thusenabling the arms to be inserted through a shirt Collar button hole andwherein after insertion, the arms can be moved into a position relativeto the base and therefore lock the Collar link into place.
 10. TheCollar link according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the arms can be held atany other angle when in the worn position depending on the preference ofthe wearer and/or the thickness of the shirt Collars.
 11. The Collarlink according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the connecting member, the pivotmechanism, the base and the arms can have different shapes/form indifferent embodiments.
 12. The Collar link according to claim 7 or 8,wherein the said Collar link can also be used as a button and/or pin tobe attached on any apparel.